Forgotten Hope
by estelover
Summary: (Complete)Estella is a regular girl living in Rome with one exception: she has premonitions. When she forsees the assasination of her King and consequently loses her memory and her power, what will she endure to get them back and will it be in time?
1. Dancing and Spotlights

Estella was the pride of the family, which consisted solely of Estella and her mother. She was the best dancer in Rome. When Estella was little, she could see things just before they happened, precognition it was called. But as she grew, so did her gift. By the time Estella was sixteen it had reached the point of premonitions, though never on command. These premonitions were usually triggered by a smell, such as the scent of lavender, a touch, as in the feel of sand beneath her feet, or a sight that links the object to the vision. Perhaps a face in a crowd. That's exactly what started Estella's adventure on the mind-boggling day, long ago, when our tale began.

Estella was performing for the king when she received the vision. She twirled gracefully in her form of a pirouette as a scene played out for her eyes only;

_The king was seated in a grand hall much like this one. As he rose to commence the feast, a man in black robes, across the hall, flung three arrows from a bow. The king fell to the ground, unmistakably dead._

Estella pulled herself out of the premonition and scanned the crowd in front of her, knowing that something had triggered the vision. There were no abnormal smells and all she could feel was the silkiness of her elegant costume and the coolness of the slight breeze. It _had_ to have been something she had seen. All of a sudden she spotted it, the face of the king's attacker. But what could she do? To leave the stage now would be an insult to the king. She could be beheaded for it! She did the only thing she could, and finished her dance. Her mind raced as she danced and she was grateful that her body had memorized the motions, as her mind was in no fit state to remember them. Estella never took her eyes off the stranger, for she knew she would lose him the moment she did. Then, just as she struck her finishing pose, something strange happened. Her gaze never leaving the man, a bright, white light flashed abruptly. It seemed to occur, not before Estella's eyes, but she behind them. Blinded for an instant, Estella lost her balance, staggered backwards, and landed hard on the stage. Her pride and her tailbone severely bruised, Estella got to her feet to lukewarm applause, the fled the stage as quickly as possible, into her dressing room.

Upon exiting her dressing room, Estella felt no inclination to find the stranger. In fact, she had no recollection of the man, nor the premonition, at all. Instead she felt a sense of something missing, an empty space, almost as if she had forgotten something. She shrugged it off as something unimportant, chores or homework maybe, and made her way home.


	2. Dreams and Sunlight

Estella's house was a small, stone cottage at the end of a short, cobblestoned path, on the outskirts of their village. The moment she arrived home she kicked off her shoes, threw off her jacket, and stumbled into bed, not bothering to get undressed. Estella couldn't explain why she was so tired, after all it was only nine o'clock, but her head pounded and her body screamed for sleep. With a contented sigh, Estella gave in to her body's desires, and closed her eyes, preparing to enter the dreamworld…

_She was walking along the cobblestone path, about to join the main road, when a man stepped in front of her. One glance was enough to tell her that he was a god, and that this was not an ordinary dream. However, she found that one glance would not suffice. She stared at him for a few moments before it dawned on her, what it was that she found so peculiar._

_Looking nothing like her mother and having never met her father, Estella had no one to compare her features to. No longer though seeing that she was very much the female version of this god. Presently, the god spoke;_

_" I am Apollo, god of prophecy, and you, my Estë, are my daughter." His voice was deep and commanding, yet Estella could sense a certain amount of tenderness in it. She stayed silent, knowing it was unwise to interrupt a god._

_"Since your mother is a mortal you are only half-goddess. Nevertheless you have inherited my gift of prophecy, a gift that you have recently lost, along with the memory of your last premonition." He continued. Estella couldn't understand what he was talking about. Recently lost? Her last premonition had been weeks ago._

_"I know you do not remember, that is why I'm here. You must go and have your memory and power restored, only then will you be able to prevent a horrible event. You will need a great deal of help throughout your journey, and though we cannot be there to aid you, we can give you gifts that will." Apollo clapped his hands and the muses all appeared standing behind him._

_"Each muse carries something that will aid you on your way. Use them wisely and with caution." He warned. He clapped his hands again and eight of the nine muses came forth to deliver their offerings. Clio brought her knowledge of history, and Urania brought hers of astronomy, which they shared with Estella by placing a hand on her forehead. The other six muses brought more practical gifts, such as food, shelter, blankets, weapons, etc. After all the objects had been distributed, Estella noticed one muse who hung back from the group and who had brought nothing to aid Estella. She questioned Apollo about her. _

_"That is Terpsichore." He replied, "And she gave you your gift the day you were born."_

_"What…?" Estella let the question trail off._

_"The gift of dance. Terpsichore's gift is dance." Responding to Estella's unfinished question with a hint of pride in his voice._

_"Now then," he said, clapping his hand once more and causing the muses to vanish. "You must seek out the Fates for they are the ones who have taken your prophetic vision. They were fearful, after you received your vision, that you may try to change the outcome of a man's life. Which is exactly why you must recover your vision. A man's life is at stake and only you have the knowledge to save him. It's in you, you just have to release it. The Fates have many creatures under their command, they may try to hinder you. Lastly, the Fates live due North. Follow the northernmost star until you stand just beneath Polaris. There you will find the Fates. You are our only hope. You must not fail, Estë. Be safe, my daughter."_

And with that, the sunny yard faded and was replaced with darkness that pressed in on Estella from all sides. She opened her eyes to early sunlight, seeping into her room through her translucent curtains. Looking around, Estella spotted a pile of objects beside her bed. Upon closer inspection she noticed that they were the exact items the muses had given her. Estella had heard that gods sometimes visited mortals in dreams, and knew this wasn't something she should ignore.

With a resigned sigh, Estella gathered the items into her bag and dressed. Even as she did this, she marvelled at the fact that she had no disbelief that Apollo was her father. Nor that she had to seek out the Fates. She simply accepted it. She also accepted that the Fates would try to stop her, but with what, she had no idea. She only hoped that Clio's knowledge of history, within her, would tell her how to defeat whatever she faced.

Knowing she had a long and tedious journey ahead of her, Estella set out at once. Not along the cobblestoned path to the main road, but out the back door, across the meadow towards the mountains, for that was the way north.


	3. Dangers and Silverlight

Estella travelled for two rather uneventful days before she met her first trial. She had sought cover on the edge of a forest to spend her second night of travelling. While she slept, unaware, a huge serpent wound it's way towards her through the trees. She opened her hazel eyes and saw a pair of red ones staring back at her. It was all over in less than a minute. Without a second's hesitation, she reached for the bow that she had been given and flung an arrow through the snake, pinning the creature to the tree behind it. Another arrow and the monster lay crumpled at the base of the tree.

Severely shaken, Estella gathered her things and fled through the forest. It was in this state, frightened and starved for sleep, that Estella encountered her next threat.

Tripping over tree roots in the darkened forest, Estë, as she was growing to like being called, was overcome with uneasiness. The wind blew through the trees, creating an eerie, ghostly noise that punctured the deathly silence every few minutes. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She stepped into a small clearing and saw a satyr directly in front of her. Within seconds she was surrounded by five or six satyrs, who were taunting her and tugging at her clothes. Estë had to think quickly.

"Look! A nymph!" she cried, pointing deep into the forest. The satyrs all turned and looked then scampered off in that direction.

Estella breathed a sigh of relief and hurried on down the path, knowing they would soon discover that there was no nymph.

She reached the edge of the forest around mid-morning and stopped for a moment to wipe away tears of happiness at leaving the gloomy forest. Pulling a slice of bread and a handful of berries out of her bag, she ate while she walked, knowing it was unsafe to border the forest very long.

Estella had been stumbling over outcroppings of rock when she came upon her next predator. Her eyes were on her feet, struggling to stay awake when suddenly the sound of voices made her head snap up and her eyes fly open.

She didn't have to search far for the source of the disturbance. Directly in front of her, just beyond a narrow river, stood about a dozen centaurs. Knowing the centaurs' brutality from Clio's gift of history, Estella knew that, unless she could find a way to avoid them, she was in very real danger. For a moment she stood frozen, not knowing what to do, then instinct took over and she flung herself behind a large boulder. All at once, a thought struck her. On the edge of the river there were many small stones that could fit easily in her palm. She grabbed a couple, took careful aim, and launched one at a random centaur. It struck him hard in the back. He let out a most effeminine scream and turned to the centaur next to him.

"Tobey! What d'you think you're doin'!"

"I'm not doing nothin'!" Tobey replied, bewildered.

"Sure yer not." The original centaur said sarcastically.

"Enough you two!" called the leader of the herd.

Estella waited a moment, then threw the next stone at Tobey. It collided with the back of his head.

"Signus! What the hell was that for!" he yelled at the centaur who had accused him.

"I didn' do nothing!" Signus replied indignantly.

"Yeah right." Sarcasm dripped from Tobey's voice. It appears sarcasm was big with the centaurs.

"Really, I sw-" at this point Signus interrupted himself with "Oof!" as Tobey tackled him.

"Now really, that's enou-!" the leader had come over to break up the fight and was knocked off his feet by the grappling pair. Within seconds he was on top of them and the small wrestling bout had become a full-fledged riot.

Peering around her protective boulder, Estella could see the centaurs in their battle. They started to drift away, still fighting as they went, leaving a clear path towards the cliffs for Estella. As soon as she saw the cliff Estë's eyes widened in horror, then filled with tears. The path through the mountains was blocked and the only other way was over them, up a sheer rock wall, impossible to climb. There was no other way. There was nothing for it, she had failed. Her legs gave out from under her and she crumpled to the ground, sobbing hysterically.

"Father," she called, "Apollo, I've failed you! I'm so sorry. I tried as hard as I could…" A fresh wave of tears came over her then, and her next words were drowned out. She cried herself to sleep in the warm sunlight, hoping to wake up and find this was all a dream.

_She was lying on her back in the soft grass next to the cliff when a man stepped in front of her, blocking the sun. She sat up to listen to what he had to say._

_"I am Mercury, messenger-god, sent by Apollo. I can't stay long, Apollo has me delivering many messages today, but he told me to come to you first. I have a gift for you. Or rather, Minerva, goddess of wisdom, has a gift for you."_

_He bent and placed a pair of sandals at her feet. But they were not ordinary sandals, for they were not only made of fine leather, but also of glittering silver wings. Estella voiced her awe. Mercury smiled._

_"If memory serves me right, Minerva also made a pair for Perseus on his quest to defeat Medusa. I hope they give as much aid to you as they did to him. Be safe, my dear."_


	4. Despair and No Light

Estella awoke to find that it was almost dusk. She had slept all day. She looked around and found the sandals resting at her feet. She pulled them on. The leather was soft and the wings tickled her feet slightly as they fluttered. She gathered her things together and began to rise over the cliff. Flying was easier than she expected as the sandals reacted to the slightest turn of her feet. It was wonderful. She soared over the cliff, over mountains and frozen fields, taking less than a quarter of the time it would have taken her to walk. Estella chose to fly day and night, without many breaks and therefore arrived at the Fates' lair in three days.

They lived in a small cave, precisely beneath Polaris.

Estë had been flying low as she neared the Fates' home and was instantly glad of it when she spotted the entrance to the cave. Hovering in front of the passageway of the cave were several harpies, who generally fly over battlefields and carry off the wounded. She could only guess what means the Fates had used to get them to protect their lair, but she didn't like it. Estella had to find a way to get rid of them. She thought long and hard about it, but came up with only one solution. Although it wasn't the most desirable method of their disposal, Estë knew that it was the only way. She had to talk to them.

She clenched her teeth together and locked her arms behind her back, for fear of trembling and giving away how frightened she really was. It wasn't enough, her whole body shook, and she sensed that when she spoke her voice would vibrate too.

And so, trembling from head to toe, Estella left the cover of the buses and made her way towards the cave. As soon as they spotted her, the harpies swooped down on Estella. They were just about to grab her when Estella said "Wait." And put out her hands, palms outward, in the universal 'stop' symbol. To her surprise, they froze.

"I don't want to bother you." She said carefully. "I just wanted to let you know that there's a centaurs' battle a few miles south of here. I know how you love battles." The centaurs' battle, incidentally which she had started, was well more than a few miles away. It was over three days travel, but the harpies didn't know that. The harpies exchanged excited glances, then gazed back at the cave entrance. Estella understood their hesitation.

"Don't worry. I'll stay here and guard the cave, the Fates will never find out." She reassured them.

Their eyes glittering, the harpies nodded their thanks and left.

"Excellent." Estella muttered to herself.

Estë glanced into the crevice and saw nothing but darkness. With a feeling of great trepidation, she stepped into the cave. As soon as she was inside she relaxed. Further down the tunnel were a series of burning torches, emitting a soft glow, just bright enough for Estella to see with. The tunnel was wide enough to admit a person slightly larger than Estë, so she had no problems making her way through it. The hard packed dirt was easy to walk on and the walls stayed up without supports. There were many smaller tunnels branching off from the main one, but Estella followed the one she was in. It wasn't long before Estella heard voices. Though she had never seen the Fates, she could paint a mental picture solely by listening to them speak.

There were three of them, she knew. Clotho, "the spinner", Lachesis, "the apportioner", and Atropos, "the inevitable". All three sounded old, as Estella knew they must be, and she was put in mind of evil witches cackling as they stirred a cauldron over a fire. That wasn't far from the truth, Estella decided when she caught sight of the Fates. They were definitely old, very wrinkled, and severely hunched. One look drove terror so fierce into Estella that she stood rooted to the spot. She couldn't explain what caused the sudden fright, the Fates looked like nothing more than creepy grandmothers, but Estë felt a growing surge of uneasiness surrounding them.

"I can't do it father." She barely whispered, "I'm too afraid, too weak." She turned and fled, but didn't leave the cave. The harpies were still out there and she had no intention of running into them again. Instead, Estella hid herself in the corner of a short, unlit tunnel that branched off from the main one. She refused to allow herself to sleep, even though she had great need of it. She did, however, let her mind float in and out of reality. It was her mind that really needed resting anyway. These breaches of sanity were frequent during the hour or so that she rested. During one such mind trip, she could have sworn she heard Apollo's voice. It was filled with doubt, but Estella only heard the promise in it.

"I'm not sure what I can do, Estë. The gods are not above the decisions of the Fates. We do not hold the power to overrule them. But I'll see what can be done."


	5. Deals and Green Light

This message brought Estella new hope, new faith and she suddenly had the courage to face the Fates.

She left her dark cove and began to search once again for the Fates' abode. She found it without difficulty, and this time she refused to turn away.

"Excuse me?" she called to them, her voice betraying only the slightest amount of uncertainty.

"Come in my dear." Clotho answered her, "We don't bite."

'No,' thought Estella, 'You just kill people.' But she entered nonetheless.

"Now then, your father mentioned you would be coming to see us." Lachesis spoke up.

"And the matter of your power of premonition has been resolved." Said Atropos. "A power surrendered by a god is much more valuable than a power taken from a half-goddess." She continued, muttering under her breath.

Estella caught the words but took no notice of them, for at that moment Atropos waved her hand in Estella's direction and a bright, green light flashed. As it had before, it seemed to flash behind Estella's eyes rather than before them. She saw flashes of her premonitions, old and recent, and finally her latest premonition in real time. She saw the assassination of the king and suddenly understood why Apollo was so insistent that she recover her gift.

"And what of the king?" asked Estella, still reeling from the visions.

"That too has been settled." Replied Clotho.

"If someone were to die in his place, he may continue to live." This time Lachesis spoke. Estella was finding it hard to keep track.

"This is usually a choice left up to us, but after what your father has given to us, we feel it acceptable to let you choose." Atropos cut in.

"Choose what?" Estella was sooo confused.

"Who will die in the king's place." Clotho spoke again.

Estella was rather taken aback. Who was she to decide who lived and who died? How could she steal the most precious gift of all? The gift of life. She thought long and hard about it. For nearly an hour she stood there, unmoving, thinking. At last she had it. There was only one type of person who was undeserving of life, and that was those tried to tried to take it from others.

"The man who tried to kill the king in my premonition. He shall die." Estella finally said.

The Fates nodded and began to work. Clotho began to spin out thread, humming a cheerful tune as she did so. Lachesis measured the thread and placed a finger on it to indicate where Atropos should cut it, which she did, catching Clotho's tune. When they were finished they looked up at Estella with bright smiles.

"Done." They said.

"Thank you. I shall be going now." Estë replied.

"Wait a moment!" Lachesis called out.

"Tell your father we are grateful for his gift." Said Atropos.

"And that it will be very useful!" finished Clotho.

Estella nodded he understanding and walked out of the cave. She found the winged-sandals she had left earlier, put them on, and began her journey home. She rested only briefly, as she was anxious to get home now that her task was completed. But all the way home she pondered the message the Fates had given her. What gift had Apollo bestowed upon them? All at once, Atropos' words echoed in her head; "A power surrendered by a god is much more valuable than a power taken from a half-goddess."

Estella stopped dead in her tracks and actually sank a few feet in the air. She finally understood. Apollo had used his power as a bargaining tool for Estella's power and the king's life. It must have been a very valuable power for the Fates to have accepted it. Probably Apollo's most unique and most potent power.

Estella gasped and froze again. According to her own reasoning, Apollo had given the Fates his power of prophecy.

"A god gave up his power for you." She told herself.

"No," another voice spoke up. "Your father sacrificed for you." Put that way, it didn't seem as astounding.

'In fact,' she thought, slipping into bed after an uneventful trip home, 'it feels right.'

She sighed peacefully and closed her eyes, feeling that, at last, everything was just right.


End file.
